


The Life and Soul of the Party

by SunflowerSupreme



Series: Witcher (A/B/O) [12]
Category: Wiedźmin | The Witcher (Video Game), Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Gen, Non-Traditional Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Witcher 1 - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-12
Updated: 2020-08-13
Packaged: 2021-03-05 20:47:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,204
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25851577
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SunflowerSupreme/pseuds/SunflowerSupreme
Summary: Recover your memory? I doubt that anyone could help. But there's a small chance....The Life and Soul of the PartySomeone who is very lively and amusing at a party or other social gathering
Relationships: Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia/Jaskier | Dandelion, Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia/Triss Merigold
Series: Witcher (A/B/O) [12]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1598041
Comments: 23
Kudos: 154





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> There's a bit of an odd time skip from the last part. Basically Geralt managed to find the guy he was looking for - Azar - but he was hiding as Raymond, the detective. So the good guy turned out to be the bad guy and nearly killed Geralt.
> 
> I just didn't want to have to write the entire investigation because it got very, very boring. Just know that Dandelion's "friend" Raymond turned out to be working with Salamandra (the assassins that Geralt has been hunting). 
> 
> All of this is borrowed from The Witcher 1, but I changed a lot to make it fit the story and because there's parts of the video game I don't like. Some of Triss and Geralt's dialogue is from the game. Most is not.

Geralt struggled to open his eyes. His body ached and he wanted nothing more than to close his eyes and curl back up, going to sleep for another century. But he groaned and opened his eyes anyway, startled to see Triss standing over him. 

"You shouldn't be up," said the sorceress.

"Azar-" Geralt began.

"Escaped." Triss sat on the edge of the bed, studying Geralt carefully. "You fought him in the swamp and were injured, that's all I was able to work out." 

"Raymond," Geralt said as his mind struggled to catch up with the events of the last few days. "He was impersonating Raymond." He could remember now, remember following the trail of the suspect with Raymond, only to realize too late that he'd been duped and that Raymond had been the villain all along. Or rather that Azar had been the villain, hiding in the persona of Raymond. 

"Fucking poet," he growled, gritting his teeth. 

"Dandelion?" asked Triss hesitantly. "I haven't seen him in years-" 

"He took me to Raymond," Geralt said. "I let him get involved, let him-" He struggled to sit up, only able to think that he needed to find the poet and find out what he knew.

"Geralt slow down." Triss pressed him back, her eyes contorting with worry. "Geralt I can say with full confidence that Dandelion was duped by Azar, the same as you." 

"How?" He sat up more slowly than before, and was pleasantly surprised when the world didn't immediately start spinning. 

"He's stupidly loyal to you," said Triss. 

Geralt nodded slowly. He had to admit it was far more tempting to believe Triss, to believe that Dandelion was just as much a victim as Geralt. After all, he'd spent several days with Dandelion, traipsing across Vizima, and not once had he seen the slightest sign of trouble. 

Guilt churned uncomfortably in his stomach. "I still don't remember him," he said. "Or you, or anyone else." 

Triss looked away. "After I found you in the swamp you raved for hours. I had no choice but to read your thoughts to learn about your injuries and what potions and posions you'd taken this time." 

Geralt was suddenly reminded of why he had prefered Dandelion's company to Triss'. "I'm sure you read beyond that." 

"I couldn't help it! Your thoughts were... quite loud." 

"So?" Geralt asked. "Can you help me?" Swinging his feet off the bed, he looked at her expectantly. 

"Recover your memory?" Triss asked. "I doubt that anyone could. But there's a small chance...."

"A small chance of what?" 

"From what I saw, I think you would benefit from a stable personality." 

He grit his teeth. "Meaning?"

"Geralt please, this is important."

"Just limit the psychobabble." He cast a glance around the room, his eyes finally landing on his boots. Ignoring Triss' attempts to grab him, he pushed himself to his feet and stomped toward them. 

"You need to take a strong stand on the world's issues," she said, hurrying after him. "It doesn't matter what position. Just that you chose one. A strong identity may help to restore your memory." 

He rolled his eyes. "Can't you just tell me what you saw?"

"No. I don't what you turning into my vision of Geralt. You have to decide for yourself who you are, without looking back." 

"I shouldn't take an interest in the past?" He paused, midway through grabbing his boots. 

Triss shook her head. "Not unless you want to slow the healing process," she said. She sighed. "To turn the conversation back to Dandelion-"

"You want me to avoid him?" Geralt guessed, resuming his task of putting on his shoes. 

The sorceress closed her eyes. "He was important to you," she said. "But these last few years- Geralt I've not had much contact with him, but for good reason." 

"All he's had contact with has been alcohol." 

"That's all he's wanted," she said softly. "I tried to help him, many of us did, but he didn't want us. He- he's built you up into a god in his own mind. I'm not convinced he always knows the difference between his own ballads and the truth anymore."

"Then why don't you delve into his mind like you do everyone else's?" snapped Geralt. 

"I doubt he'd let me that close." 

"Well, if you'd like someone else's opinion of you, I may know where you can get it." 

Geralt cocked his head. "What do you mean?"

"There's a banquet," she explained. "And before you give me that look and refuse to go on principal, you should know that Princess Adda is going to be there." 

"Should I be impressed?"

"You once lifted a curse from her," explained Triss. "Apparently she's rather obsessed with you." 

"If I wanted someone to be obsessed with me, I'd find Dandelion." 

Triss smiled. "Princess Adda might be able to give you a different perspective on yourself. And I believe Dandelion is meant to play at the banquet."

"I thought you didn't want me to hear his ballads." 

"Not necessarily. I just don't want you to take them too literally." 


	2. Chapter 2

Finding the New Narakort Inn was no trouble at all. Triss' directions were sound and the pass she'd given him meant he had no trouble with the guards. What did cause a minor bit of trouble was the familar voice that called out just as he entered, "Geralt! Come! Have a drink!" 

"I thought you weren't drinking anymore, Dandelion," he said, dropping into a chair across from the poet, despite Triss' warnings. 

"This, my friend, is tea." He waved his cup at Geralt with a grin. "So, what can I help you with, Geralt? Information? Memories? Dinner? Just name it, and it's yours." 

"I don't want to talk about my past." 

Dandelion cocked his head. "What? But I thought-" 

"Triss says that the best way for me to remember is to stop focusing on it. I have to create a strong persona now, to find something to take a stand on." 

Dandelion's face scrunched up in a scowl. "Well, that sounds like something that Triss would say alright," he said. "But it also sounds like something that would benefit Triss. I don't- Geralt there are things you don't know about her, that's all." 

"Raymond was Azar Javed in disguise." 

"What?!" spluttered the poet. "Geralt- I had no idea, I swear-" 

"All I'm saying," Geralt said, "is that there are things you don't know either." 

Dandelion fell uncharacteristically silent, looking down into his mug of tea with a frown. Then he asked, "So what brings you to the Trade Quarter, Geralt?" 

"I'm going to Princess Adda's party." 

"That's not until tomorrow." 

"It's at six tonight." 

Dandelion's eyes widened and his face turned pale. "You're certain?" he asked nervously. "You're absolutely certain- oh damn it! Geralt I need your help." 

"What?" 

"I promised to perform and I don't have my lute!" 

"Then you have a problem." Geralt couldn't help the slight grin on his face, even though he could already tell that the lute was going to become his problem as much as it was Dandelion's. "Can you borrow one?" 

"Geralt!" he gasped. "Don't be ridiculous. It's special, and don't ask me why, that would be breaking Triss' stupid rules." 

"So you have to have it back?"

"Yes," said Dandelion, nodding vigorously.

"So where is it?" Geralt growled.

Dandelion glanced out the window. "You're not at all curious how I got into the Trade Quarter?" he asked.

Geralt tapped his fingers on the table. "I'm curious about the lute, since you brought it up." 

"Well, you see, personal charm and fame open a lot of doors. I approached a merchant I know who got me a pass into the trade quarter." 

"Where. Is. Your. Lute."

"I was staying with the merchant - he lives on the west side of Salt Square." 

Geralt groaned and slammed his hands on the table. "Dandelion! The lute!" 

"Well... the merchant caught me giving his daughte lessons." 

The Witcher's head dropped to the table. "In what?" 

"Relax Geralt," soothed Dandelion. "In music, my friend, music."

"Uh huh," said Geralt. But Dandelion didn't seem to be lying, so he decided not to press the issue. Instead he stood and said, "I'll be back with the lute." 

* * *

Dandelion chewed on his lip as he waited for Geralt to return with the lute. _Today_ , he thought miserably. _The banquet is today_. It was the best banquet he'd managed to be invited to in years and if he wasn't for Geralt he would have missed it entirely. 

The bard shook his head. It didn't do to dwell on mistakes. He tapped his fingers on the table nervously, wishing more than anything that he could wash his nerves down with a drink. But no, he'd promised Geralt, and the Witcher would smell it on him. With Triss already causing trouble, the less he could do to upset Geralt the better. 

Dandelion added, _Talk to Triss_ to his mental to do list, even if confronting a sorceress was the last thing he wanted to do. Then he pulled a notebook out of his pocket and wrote an actual list so he couldn't forget it. Even without alcohol, his memory wasn't doing well at all. 

He wrote, _ask if alcohol can cause permanent damage_ , then marked it out. 

_No_ , he decided, it wasn't the alcohol. It was the stress. He peeked into his bag, glancing at his ever dwindling supply of suppressants and wondered if Triss might be able to help him. She'd made it for him in the past, and even if Shani's supply line had been broken by the war and the plague, Triss was a sorceress and might still be able to get the ingredients. 

If not, he was fucked. 

His thoughts were broken as the door to the inn opened and Geralt stomped inside, a familiar object slung over his shoulder. 

"My love!" Dandelion called happily as Geralt passed him the lute. 

"Teaching lute naked?" Geralt asked, raising an eyebrow. 

Dandelion shrugged. "It allows me to focus on the movement of the muscles in the neck and diaphragm, to better coach my students."

"Sure." Geralt shook his head, although Dandelion could easily read his amusement. Then he frowned. "Why do you need to talk to Triss?"

Dandelion blinked. He'd completely forgotten about the list that was still on the table in front of him, and Geralt's amusement had quickly turned to suspicion. "About medicine," he said truthfully, keeping his voice quiet and glancing around to ensure he wasn't heard. "For, you know..."

"Suppressants?" Geralt's voice was quiet as well, and he sat across from Dandelion, studying the bard. "Can't you get them from an herbalist?"

"They're hard to come by in a war zone," Dandelion said with a shrug, hoping Geralt couldn't hear his racing heart. "But perish the thought, Geralt. We have a party to attend!" 

Geralt nodded solemnly, which wasn't at all the reaction Dandelion had been hoping for. "Princess Adda will ask for a song about you, Geralt." 

"I expected as much."

"I don't know how that will fit in with your determination not to hear about your past though." Dandelion paused. "I could refuse-"

"I imagine that wouldn't help your reputation." 

It would ruin his reputation and Dandelion knew it. And if he refused the princess then it was likely he wouldn't get paid, and if he didn't get paid- he swallowed back the thoughts. "You come first my friend." 

"Sing whatever the princess wants," Geralt said. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: the missing lute quest is from the game and in the quest Geralt actually sleeps with Dandelion's student in exchange for getting the lute.
> 
> You can watch the Lute Quest here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BPCDBkcBmg


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ugh I hate writing Triss. I don't know why I decided to make her such an important character in this story.
> 
> I mean, most of it is the Game Dev's fault since they made her his main love interest in the first game, but stilllllll. At least we're mostly done with her (for now).

Despite Triss' promises to the contrary, Geralt found the party to be more or less a waste of time. The attendees were less than helpful, mostly interested in what they could do to benefit themselves. Dandelion perched on a table and sang happily, singing whatever the guests demanded of him, and - to Geralt's chagrin - accepting drinks from them. 

Princess Adda turned out to be slightly spoiled, demanding as much of Geralt's time as she could and badgering him for information that he couldn't recall. His only saving grace was Dandelion, making a show of drunkenly knocking over a candlestick which gave him an opportunity to grab the inebriated bard and half drag him from the room. 

As soon as they were in the hall Dandelion straightened up, no longer seeming at all affected by the alcohol he'd consumed. "Did you learn what you hoped for?" he asked, tilting his head curiously at Geralt.

"No," said the Witcher. "I thought you were drunk." 

"Not at all," assured Dandelion. "So? Did you learn anything useful?" 

"Adda is spoiled and Foltest wants to keep her out of politics." 

"Well, I can't blame him," said Dandelion. "He has no legitimate heirs, he could claim any of his other bastards as easily as he's claimed Adda." 

"Adda isn't legitimate?" 

"Adda is his niece as well as his daughter, and everyone knows she's touched in the head." 

"Geralt! Dandelion!" The sorceress' voice cut through the air and they both turned to see Triss approaching them, her hands on her hims. 

"Triss!" Dandelion said happily. He swept off his hat and bowed, the egret feather plume touching the ground. He seemed to have immediately fallen back into his 'drunk' persona.

"What are you two doing?" she demanded. 

"Geralt was just helping me," Dandelion slurred, stumbling as he straightened up. "Where were we going, Ger- _hic_ -alt?"

"I'm not learning anything useful about Salamandra from any of them, Triss." 

She narrowed her eyes at Dandelion. "You can drop the act." 

He looked slightly sheepish, straightening up and returning his hat to its proper place on his head. 

"Your absence is going to be missed," she said, turning her steely gaze on Geralt. 

He shrugged. "I'm a Witcher, not a politician. If Adda wants to play at politics let her, she's not helping me find Salamandra or the missing potions." 

She looked between the two of them and seemed to realize that she wasn't going to get what she wanted out of either of them. "I have to return to the party," she said, turning sharply on her heel. 

"Wait!" Geralt called after her. "Triss!"

She paused, looking back over her shoulder with one eyebrow raised. 

He strode after her, mindful of the empty hall and not wanting his voice to carry. "Dandelion needs medication," he said softly. "Can you make it?"

Her eyes softened as she glanced behind Geralt, at where Dandelion was trying valiantly to seem interested in a tapestry on the wall. It didn't seem that he could hear them, since he hadn't reacted to what Geralt had said. "The ingredients aren't easy to come by," she said quietly. "I can try, Geralt, but I can't promise it." 

Geralt looked at Dandelion, then back to Triss. "Please," he said quietly. "He's... frightened." 

"Bad things have happened to him Geralt," she said. Dandelion was wandering down the stairs, trying to seem nonchalant while also slightly intoxicated. 

Certain that he couldn't hear them, Geralt asked, "What do you mean?" 

Triss waved her hand, the air around them shimmering. "We can't be heard," she explained. Then, "You mated him."

"What?" Geralt turned sharply, looking back over his shoulder at where Dandelion had vanished down the stairs. "What do you mean I-"

"You marked him. You had a bond-" 

"I know what it means, Triss, why would I-"

"He wanted to be sterilized, but the doctor lied," she said. "He was going to be auctioned off, but you saved him." 

"Why did I mate with him?" 

"You would have to ask Dandelion." 

"I thought you didn't want me to ask questions about my past," he said, gritting his teeth and wishing she could just make up her mind. 

Triss seemed slightly uneasy. "Geralt, I knew you well enough. We- we had an understanding. But Dandelion? Geralt, of all the people you've met in your long life, I think he may have known you best." 

Geralt looked away, staring down the hall after Dandelion once again. "You said he was too drunk to trust." 

"He is a drunkard and womanizer and cheat and a liar," Triss said. "He may not know the truth himself half the time, but recorded his time with you meticulously in his journals. And he means you no harm, even if he finds it more often than not." 

* * *

Dandelion was sitting in the pub again, nursing a beer, when Geralt unceremoniously dropped into the chair across from him. “Triss said I marked you.”

Dandelion froze, then looked up, raising an eyebrow. “Did Triss also mention I prefer to keep the details of my sickness private?” He scanned an eye around the tavern, checking to ensure that they were out of earshot of everyone.

“It’s not a sickness.”

He took a long gulp from his beer. “Speak for yourself, Witcher.”

Geralt studied him intently, tilting his head as he considered. “Why?”

Dandelion leaned forward, dropping his voice. “Because you’re not an omega, Geralt, so you cannot possibly understand how I feel.”

“That’s not what I meant, Dandelion,” Geralt replied. “Why did I-”

Dandelion stood, dropping a coin on the table to pay for his drink. “Not here, Geralt,” he said again, stomping up the stairs. He was almost surprised when Geralt followed him, the Witcher ever eager to learn about himself. Once they were both in his room, he shut the door, then leaned against the table. Geralt sat on the bed.

“Why did I mark you?” the Witcher asked.

“Because I was - _I am_ \- your friend, Geralt.” Dandelion sighed, closing his eyes. “You rescued me after I’d been…. Attacked.”

“Triss told me.”

“Damn it, what else did she tell you?”

Geralt was studying him again, intently, as though he found the musician fascinating. “You wanted to be sterilized but the doctor lied to you. They were going to auction you off to be bred.”

There was no emotion in Geralt’s voice, as though he was recounting something that had happened to a complete stranger. Dandelion supposed that, in his mind, he was. “Yes.”

“And after that, you asked me to mark you. But that isn’t what I wanted to know, poet. I wanted to know _why_?”

“Because,” Dandelion said again. “Geralt, you are my dearest friend. And I asked you to.”

“You have no shortage of women, poet,” the Witcher said. “Since I met you, you’ve tried to convince me to go to a whorehouse no less than three times.”

Dandelion shrugged. “I like whores,” he said. “I don’t trust them.”

Geralt frowned as he processed what Dandelion had told him. "Triss said you kept journals."

Dandelion sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Geralt, I would give my journals to you in a heartbeat-"

"But?"

"They're in Oxenfurt." 

Geralt sighed and pushed himself to his feet.

"I'm sorry I couldn't answer more of your questions, Geralt." 

"I need to find Salamandra," Geralt said softly, starting for the door. "Then we can talk about-" he waved his hand vaguely, as though symbolizing a connection between himself and Dandelion. 

Dandelion stepped out of the door, calling after him, “Would you believe me if I said it was your idea?”

Geralt didn’t stop, but he was certain the Witcher had heard him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next up will be some short one shots, a multi-chapter angst fest, and then more smut because that's what these losers deserve. 
> 
> I am playing very fast and loose with game canon though, because a) it's boring and b) i didn't actually finish the game because the controls were that bad. Plus it's more about Dandelion and Geralt than the actual storyline. 
> 
> Oh and I'm mostly skipping Witcher 2 because it's also not that interesting and I have PLANS for the Witcher 3 storyline. -evil grin-


End file.
